Cumbria Clothing Collective

Cumbria Clothing Collective CIC believes that clothing consumers have a responsibility to understand how and where their clothing is made. It also advocates for greater responsibility in managing clothing at the end of its life.

Established from the personal mission of founder Gail, Cumbria Clothing Collective CIC was created to reduce the volume of clothing waste going to landfill. The organisation highlights the growing global impact of textile waste, including the fabric mountains in Chile’s Atacama Desert that are visible from space, and the environmental and social challenges caused by the export of poor-quality textile waste to countries such as Ghana.

Working across Cumbria, the organisation aims to reduce the county’s clothing waste one item at a time through:

• Providing educational presentations and activities that inspire people of all ages to think differently about their clothing.
• Coordinating clothes swaps and sales across the county.
• Encouraging clothing repair activities, including access to sewing machines and repair workshops at Restore.
• Hosting and managing the Cumbria Clothing Repair Directory.
• Working with the joint council waste reduction team and charities to explore circular economy solutions and reduce the volume of waste clothing being sent to the Global South.
• Lobbying MPs to consider the wider issue of textile waste.